Priceless antiques, luxurious services, and breathtaking views greet visitors of Mardan Palace Mardan Palace. Situated on Lara Beach by the picturesque Mediterranean Sea, Mardan Palace offers its guests experiences they would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the world. Through the creative problem solving and nearly 3 years of continuous dedication to the project, RPT, working together with International Concept Management (ICM) brought many of these one-of-a-kind experiences to life for the luxury resort.
As diners enjoy their meals in the 5-star Aquamarine restaurant, they are treated to a nearly 400,000 gallon (1.5 million liter) saltwater tank that contains 4 aquariums. In order to allow nearly limitless views of the sharks and other species, the restaurant was built beneath the pool deck, thus allowing diners to enjoy the view of the animals, as well as the swimmers in the pool above.
Each aquarium surrounding the 5-star restaurant replicates certain aquatic environments, and features marine life from specific environments worldwide – the Red Sea, shipwrecks of the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and Pacific Oceans. These four tanks alone feature several thousand marine species and each tank opens up to natural sunlight. However, in order to maintain proper filtration and suitable environments for the fish while still capturing and utilizing natural sunlight, impermeable acrylic separates the life-sustaining saltwater from the pool water.
The Aquatic Adventure Swim Reef offers guests a chance to swim with marine life in a controlled environment. Designed to provide an interactive experience for hotel guests, guides provide instruction to swimmers who can then swim, snorkel, or take part in feeding the marine life. Careful selection of local species ensures that guess will have a memorable and safe experience. The Swim Reef contains nearly 344,000 gallons (more than 1.3 million liters) of saltwater and measures nearly 9,700 square feet (900 square meters) with depths varying from 4.5 feet to 10.5 feet (1.4m to 3.2m). Natural seawater is continuously circulated from 1km off the Mediterranean coast through the Swim Reef in order to provide ideal, natural conditions.
Our last installation at the Mardan Palace greets guests as they enjoy desserts and after-dinner drinks. Located in the Onyx Bar, the aquarium features colorful marine life in 5,500 gallons (21,000 liters) of saltwater. The single-sided tank allows visitors at the bar to view the marine life and shoreline in the distance.
All of these aquatic installations require a significant amount of space for the Aquatic Filtration Systems (AFS). Designed and installed by ICM, the AFS take up nearly 808 m² of space in the Maiden Tower tanks, 402 m² for the Swim Reef, and 55 m² for the Waterfall Bar. The complexity of the tanks also requires a complex filtration system. As a result, the system is completely controlled by computers with off-site monitoring alarms and a touch-screen interface.
